A Friend of Mine
by Optimus Magnus
Summary: This is pure, unadulterated fun.  Nothing done or said in this fic should be taken as a serious go at fanfiction, just fun.  This is also a reposting.  Some will still know this fic.  Enjoy


**A Friend of Mine**

Disclaimer:  I own no references herein to Evangelion or its characters.  However most fantasy elements are mine, unless earlier confirmation of the creation of one can be found, I own Lex and all names in his realm.  Elves, Orcs etc are universal because they are in legends and therefore we all own them

************

Rei was not happy, although in the case of the 1st Child, it was often hard to tell what she was feeling anyway, for all her facial expressiveness, she could be absolutely over the moon with joy or in the heights of pleasure, in an absolute rage or in total misery, but no one would know to look at her.  She sighed and sat on the bench, the skiing trip that Major Katsuragi had organised was boring her to death and the ski boots hurt her ankles: they were on a mountain somewhere in New Kyoto and it was cold, that was the main reason that Rei was unhappy: she hated, no, loathed being cold because it was almost like being constantly reminded of her life, cold and empty, like herself as well.  She became vaguely aware of a voice calling her name

[Shinji, my only real friend] she mused as she sought him out.

Shinji was waiting near a ski lift

"Yes Ikari?" she asked 

"Did you want to come up to the higher path, Asuka, Misato and I are going," he asked 

[Only he would try and include me in something like this, even if I say no he can say in truth that he asked] she reflected

"Yes" she answered, surprising both Shinji and herself

"Okay, you'll have to catch the next chair with Misato.  I don't think you'd want to ride with Asuka", he said in a low voice with a wink

Shinji sat beside the redhead and went up in the chair.  Rei caught the quick squeezing of Asuka's hand by Shinji; it made her feel a pang of jealousy

[He loves her, more than me] she realised as she sat beside Misato on the chair.

It was a long climb to the top of this ski hill.

********************

Misato attempted to converse with the girl, but as it was for everyone bar Shinji and his father it was like talking to a brick wall with a vocabulary of less than 30 words

"Rei did you come because someone ordered you to?" Misato asked in a tired voice 

"No" she answered 

"Why then?  You're obviously not enjoying yourself, so why?" the major asked, 

"Because I wished to spend time with Shinji.  But he is obviously intent on lavishing his time on pilot Sohyru rather than me" she said

"Asuka is taking up a lot of his time because she feels very insecure and after the 15th Angel's attack on her mind, she sees him as her tower of strength, she needs him" she explained

"And I don't, Shinji and I share a bond she will never understand" Rei said, almost caustically as the pair got of the lift, Shinji and Asuka were already skiing

"Rei.  If you don't want to be here, call Nerv and have them fly you back to Tokyo 3.  But don't stay here and ruin the trip for all of us" she yelled

Misato then started skiing down the hill, leaving Rei, crying and hurt at the top.  The cold wind whipped across her face

"She, she has never been cruel like that before" she stuttered out

Rei took her skis off and making an X in the snow with them, as an instructor told them in case they got lost to use it as a marker for search parties.  Then she retrieved a small pocked knife that she had been given by the same instructor as a tool: it had a small light built into it.  But it was the knife she wanted, click, it came up with little prompting from her and she studied it and rolled up a sleeve on her black jumpsuit and made a cut in her wrist, on a vein so the blood flowed quiet a lot before walking down the other side of the mountain, leaving a trail of blood behind, and her bracelet that Shinji had bought for her as a birthday present.

******************

Shinji was in the lodge; Asuka was chugging down hot chocolate by the gallon

"Ah, that's what I call heaven in a mug!" she exclaimed and went for her 5th cup

Shinji was reading a magazine on one of the long and comfortable couches in the lodge's lounge, his own cup of hot chocolate was still happily steaming away beside him with a large doughnut with strawberry icing

[This is the best thing we have ever done, and we're here together like a family, only Kaji is missing] he reflected on the sudden death of his father figure

Shinji raised his mug up, looked to the heavens and smiled 

"Here's to you Super-Spy" he joked and took a long swig of the warm drink and resumed reading his magazine.

Misato trudged in a few minutes later with a satisfied look on her face

[Ahh, that shower was very relaxing] she thought and sat on a couch and promptly ordered a beer 

"Hey Misato, where's Rei?" Shinji asked,

"Still skiing as far as I know" she said flippantly and chugged her drink.

An hour passed and Rei was still nowhere to be seen

"I'm going to look for her" Shinji said and went outside

Asuka went over to Misato who was looking a little guilty

"What's eating you?" Asuka asked

"Oh, I was a bit harsh with Rei up on the slope.  She ignored or used a single syllable answer to all my questions so I told her to go home and stop ruining the trip for all of us if she wasn't happy about being here" Misato admitted, but was adamant that she was in the right about the exchange.

Shinji caught the chair lift again and revelled in the beauty of the mountain range for the trip up.  When he neared the top, he saw a large gathering of people around something and he allowed his curiosity to best him and he went over for a look, and when he saw the blood and skis he was concerned but his stomach nearly tore open when he saw the bracelet

[That's Rei's] he realised 

Shinji ran over to the area; a few patrolmen surrounded it.  He quickly explained who owned the skis and bracelet and a search party was sent out, this one knew whom to look for, the others were just following the blood.

Rei was becoming weaker every step she took, the blood loss combined with the bitter cold and biting winds, and she couldn't feel her hands

[Hypothermia, I will die soon, but as before I shall be resurrected] she thought before collapsing to the ground

Her injury and her condition finally making her unable to move and she was face down in the snow, some of her tears had frozen into droplets on her face and she still cried, but made no sound, Rei was very sick but felt no pain, indeed the cold had numbed the slash on her wrist and the hypothermia didn't seem to cause her pain, but she knew parts of her body would soon deteriorate beyond repair

"And so I die, here in a wilderness far from my 'home', with no friends to call my own, not even Shinji"

She paused and exhaled

"He has abandoned me for Asuka.  Take care of him Sohyru, if you don't I shall see you killed" she made an empty threat from her nearly empty body and soul, but not to empty surroundings.

Rei suddenly felt a light wash over her and she could make out a shadow in it of someone tall; and judging by the broadness of the shoulders, male, but she saw no more because darkness enveloped her.  The tall figure that found Rei gently picked her up

[She will soon be beyond any aid.  I must hurry] he deduced and flew into the air towards a cave many miles in the direction Rei was heading.

He used his own body to heat the girl in his arms

[She is very beautiful, but why is she wondering the wilderness like this and with a dangerous wound too?], he wondered as he entered the cave and walked down to a wall of stone

"Mir-yastor-nye" he said loudly

The words he spoke were a secret password that caused a pair of hidden doors in the rock face to open and allow access to a large set of rooms.  Rei's saviour wasted no time in placing her on a bed and bandaged her cut

[I believe this was a self-inflicted wound] he mused and began preparing some kind of herbal remedy to counter the effects of the cold 

"You are so pale I think had it not been for your black garb I would have missed you entirely", he muttered

His unconscious guest heard nothing as he poured a liquid down her throat without waking her and placed her in furs by an open fire.  The owner sat down on a couch and slept, he was also tired.

Shinji was sitting on a chair back in the lodge with a worried expression on his face 

"What happened up there, damn it?" he muttered

His gaze turned towards Misato, who was currently asleep from her small private booze-up and Asuka was nowhere to be seen.  A search and rescue party had failed to turn up any trace of the missing girl and the local police had gotten on the horn to his dad, he could hear him yelling at the poor policeman from the waiting room, soon afterwards he had looked out and seen a large contingent of Nerv search helicopters and some ground crews, Ritsuko and the three deck bunnies (As Shinji and Asuka had dubbed them), were there as well so for lack of anything else to do, he went to see them.  All the while he was absently twirling and fingering the bracelet in his hand to try and bring some kind of comfort to his troubled soul 

"Hi Shinji" Maya said to him from her console, her smile faded seeing the boy's worried expression

"Hi Maya, any news from the search?" he asked

Shinji wanted good news even if Maya told him a great big lie it would be enough to reassure him, but Maya was the kind of person who seemed incapable of lying, especially to Shinji, she was too fond of the boy

"No, I'm afraid not" she said and returned to her work

Shinji's near devastated expression was too much.  He felt a hand on his shoulder; it was Aoba

"Come on kid, we both need a coffee" he said and took Shinji to a diner a few feet from the mobile command post.

Aoba and Shinji sat at a booth and ordered two very strong coffees

"So, Shinji.  You seem very worried about Rei", he said

At first Shinji shot the man a dark look thinking that Aoba meant it was a bad thing but he had meant it as a question on why he was worried

"She's my best friend Aoba, and now because I was helping Asuka recover from her mental breakdown she seems to think I deliberately neglected her"

He paused and looked at the coffee with a depressed look on his face

"I feel as if I abandoned her" he said and sipped the coffee, it tasted of vanilla

 "Vanilla" he said under his breath, Aoba blinked

"Rei's favourite ice-cream" Shinji explained.

*******************

Rei woke up with a start: she'd had a terrible nightmare about being abducted, violated and murdered in the snow, she looked around and for a brief second she thought the first part of her nightmare were true, but her clothes were still intact and on her body, one sleeve had been ripped from her jumpsuit but after inspection it was because a bandage going from her wrist to her mid forearm was present

"I tended the cut.  Your hypothermia was a little more difficult to deal with but it is gone also" a masculine voice assailed her ears

She spun and came face to face with her host: he was about 3 inches taller than her with sandy hair.  The shape of his face and body made her realise that they were the same age roughly, but a look into his amber eyes would say otherwise in regards as to how old her was and he was dressed in cotton leggings, with a cape and leather shirt and leather boots "Who are you?" she asked, feeling a little frightened

"I am Lex.  What is your name?" he asked in return

"Rei, Rei Ayanami" she answered in her monotone voice, she was more relaxed since she had now determined Lex as non-threatening

"Tell me Rei, why were you stumbling in the snow with that injury on your arm?" he pressed

"I tried to end my life, not that it is any business of yours" Rei replied rather defensively, 

Lex merely raised an eyebrow 

"I see, pray tell, what would fill you so full of grief to the point where you wished to die, by your own hands no less?" Lex continued his questions

"It is a private matter," Rei said, nearly growling at him.

Lex smirked

"Ah, finally a response" he crowed

Lex jumped over the table and landed on the ground and knelt near Rei; she blinked and stared for the action had surprised her

"Your hair and eyes, I have never seen anything like them, they are very…" he trailed off, trying to think of something

"Ugly?' Rei hazarded, this was because that was what most people called her at school, apart from a select few

"Never, I think 'unique' works better" he said, smirking wider at the blush Rei had

[Ugly, her, she surpasses many a princess that I have met, even the queen of Lantarian] Lex thought.

*********************

For once in her life, Rei found she could not hold another person's gaze but they could hold hers, while most would shy away from her red eyes, Lex's amber one's were up to the task of holding her gaze, but she soon looked down

"If you are lying to stop my feelings from being hurt, do not bother.  I do not care what others think of me", she said.

A hand cupped her chin and made her look up

"I do not lie; m' Lady Ayanami I consider it without honour and an unnecessary burden on my conscience" he said

His face for a moment without its previous joviality, he then cracked his seemingly permanent smile and he released her chin

"Besides, anyone who calls a fair lady like you ugly is either ugly themselves or blind to greatness" he said, making her blush even more than before

[She indeed reminds me of an Elf queen, so fair, happy and wise but sad at the same time] he was reminded of queens of the long dead races of the planet earth, but not likewise on other worlds.

A loud rumbling alerted Lex to Rei's state of hunger

"Ah, some food will help that.  Loosen your belt for this will be a small feast," he said 

Although another inference to part of his statement was obvious, Rei doubted he meant it that way.  Lex bounded to his kitchen

"I dislike eating meat," Rei said while Lex could still hear her 

[She even eats like an Elf, well, I should make something a little more up to date] he decided and began boiling water for pasta.

Several minutes later, a heavy smell of tomatoes, oregano and basil assaulted Rei's nose 

[I have not eaten anything like this before] she recalled nothing on this smell; save the tomato, she ate those in sandwiches all the time.

Rei decided to chance it and got up, and to her genuine surprise found her legs were uninjured; although her walking was groggy she easily followed the smell of food to a large room made of tiles but lit with great torches and candles

"This is called Pesto, I've no idea where it came from but I found some in a climbers pack once, he was dead but I took his things to learn more about the outside world" he said

Lex served Rei a large plate of pasta and sauce.  She sniffed it warily

[I cannot smell any meat] she decided it was safe and picked up a fork and took a bite, she loved it and ate it quickly; she was famished.

Shinji was back at the Lodge and interrogating a now awake (but hung over) Misato 

"What happened?  Because what ever it was, happened between you two going up and coming down.  So what happened?" he demanded

Misato sheepishly explained that she had been short with Rei about her being here and telling her to leave if she didn't want to be with them

"I can lay some of this on you, Shinji.  She came to spend time with you" Misato countered

"I made the mistake of stepping over the fine line between her solitude and plain old exclusion.  I accept that but you didn't have to go and get Rei upset enough to deliberately cause an injury to her person and wander off into the snow, Misato!" Shinji snapped

The Major refused to meet his gaze.  Shinji snorted and stormed out the back and looked around and since no one was there; he pulled out a cigarette, lit it and took a long drag 

"Ah, much better" he muttered and took another drag

"Shinji?" a surprised voice said.

He whirled around and saw of all people: Hikari and Toji

"Since when do you smoke pilot boy?" Toji asked his confused friend

"One day I felt like crap so much I went to the medicine cabinet and looked: there were cigarettes and painkillers, I figured these to be the lesser of the two evils" he replied

Shinji took another drag and tapped off a bit of ash.  Hikari went for a coke and Toji took a seat

"So, what's the ruckus all about?  I nearly got into a fight with a guard when he stopped Hikari and I going ice-skating a few minutes ago" he said

Shinji sighed "Rei's missing, apparently she just wandered off into the snow, and the direction she went in is unstable with large ice tunnels under it, literally labyrinths of them that stretch for almost 2 miles down and 10 miles in diameter.  It doesn't look good", he explained

He took a long, long drag on the cigarette.  Toji was speechless

"The irony is, its because I didn't spend enough time with her, I was so wrapped in helping Asuka, I'm ashamed to say it but I forgot about her" he said

Tears at the corner of his eyes, Toji placed a reassuring hand on Shinji's shoulder

"Hey, Rei's a fighter, she'll pull through" he said.

***************

Rei polished off two plates of the Pesto, 3 cups of light ale and a piece of cake

"Do you feel better?" Lex asked

"I am much better than I was" she replied stoically despite the alcohol

Lex frowned at the absence of emotion in Rei's voice "Why do you suppress your own feelings?" he questioned bluntly

Rei blinked at the question

[People have asked me if I have emotions, but never asked if I just do not show them] she realised

"I was told that my emotions would disable my effectiveness as an Eva pilot, and to that end I was ordered to not show any emotion to anyone but the commander himself.  But lately I have been showing it unconsciously to his son; he is my only real friend" she explained.

Lex could hardly believe his ears

"What kind of person demands that kind of restraint from his followers?  It is cruel and without reason" he growled to no one in particular

"I find the situation, uncomfortable, but it is necessary for my Eva piloting duties" Rei said

"Piloting Eva, what is this Eva, some sort of beast you use in battle?" he enquired

Rei looked at him as if he'd grown a second head

[How could he not know about the Evas and Angels?], she wondered

"Though most would say it is a mechanical combat device, I would use your description because it is more, accurate.  And indeed we ride them to war, a war with only three soldiers, Shinji, Asuka and I" Rei explained

Lex was just appalled

"Young children ride great machine beasts to war and there are only 3 of you, it sounds like a great folly to me", he stated

Rei looked up "We are only ever attacked by a single enemy at any one time, but they display special powers and abilities that force us to face it at the same time, they entered the mind of one of us, Asuka, and they tortured her to the point of mental and spiritual breakdown" Rei recounted the happenings of the last Angel attack to Lex

His responses ranged from small growls to slamming his fist on the table they sat at.

***************

Rei looked at her watch

[I have been gone several hours, I should try and get back] she thought and asked Lex to take her to the resort.

He responded by taking her to the cave and pointing to the snowstorm outside

"You would die, and I cannot fend off the elements when they reach this state.  I shall take you to the area you speak off in the morning; the storm will have passed by then" he said and led her back to the warmth of his dwelling.

Rei was led to a bedroom where she may sleep

"You, would not try and force yourself upon me, would you?" she asked, purely from curiosity as this was a strange place and Lex was a strange person.

She felt a jolt of, guilt, as Lex's face went pale and his expression became one of horror 

"No, what have I done to make you think of me as some filthy vermin capable of that despicable act m' Lady?" he asked.

Rei; seeing the situation deteriorating, reached out and placed her hand on Lex's shoulder, making him raise his head

"I apologise Lex.  I was simply afraid; this place is strange to me.  You are one of the noblest young men I have ever met and I thank you for all you did for me" she said

Lex smiled once again

"I accept your apology.  And I am honoured that you hold me in such high esteem.  I bid you a peaceful night Rei", he said and turned away to go to his own sleeping chambers.  

Rei found the large double bed quite different from the cot she had at home; this bed was made from a finely polished wood and the blankets were of a fine satin or other soft material with goose down in them, and the mattress was wonderfully soft

[This is, very agreeable] Rei decided and lay between the covers after removing the jumpsuit

[Why does he keep calling me, m' Lady and Lady Rei?] Rei wondered, she was grateful; for the respect but found the titles he called her by very odd

Rei however gave it little thought, she assumed it was just the way Lex was, his upbringing.  After that she fell asleep quickly.

Lex lay awake on his bed

[500, 000 years, I have been alive five hundred millennia and I have never felt this way about a female before.  Curse my blood for its desire] he was locked in battle not to go to Rei's bedroom and at least kiss her

His honour held more, much more staying power than his desires so he simply stayed where he was, content to dream of the Elf goddess in human form sleeping down the hall.  Rei was also dreaming; in the dream were 2 other versions of her

"Who are you?" she asked,

"We are you" they replied in unison.

Rei was understandably surprised about that answer

"I am I.  How can I be me yet you are me also?" she asked of the copies

"We are all one and the same.  I am the version of yourself that exists in the commander's mind" the copy with the plug suit said,

The one in the uniform stepped forward

"And I am the version yourself who exists in Shinji Ikari's mind.  We are the only two of your selves you regard as important in your current state" she said.

Then a third copy stepped forward; this version was unlike any other she had seen: she was in a long green dress with a necklace, bracelet and a ring, she also noted this one of her was smiling and had longer hair

"I am the you that exists in the mind of Lex.  Easily the one who sees the true you" she said

Her voice was softer than normal but it held more weight and happiness was evident in its tone of voice.  The 3rd clone smiled at her more

"I am also here to say that meeting Lex is an important milestone in your life", she added.

Now Rei was really confused

"I don't understand," she said

"You must work out a balance between the three of us and your own self view, then you will know why meeting Lex is important, but until you discover the balance," she paused and caressed Rei's cheek

"Your soul will not be at peace" she finished,

Then she and the other two Rei's turned and faded away, and left their confused counterpart to work out the riddle of the souls on her own.  Rei sprang awake drenched with sweat and a feeling that was new to her emanating from her chest

[What is this, heaviness in my chest?] Rei wondered and got up.

Rei saw that her jumpsuit was gone but some clothes that would be warm but fit her nicely were folded up on the chair near the bed, she shrugged and got dressed, the clothing was a long sleeved shirt and some pants, socks and a pair of boots had been placed by the door also.  Dressed in this new garb, Rei followed the route she followed last night in reverse and returned to the main room.  Lex was practicing with a sword in the main room and was too engrossed in his activity to notice Rei's entrance.  The sword itself was long and thin but remarkably strong despite its appearance.

*****************

Rei sat down at a safe distance and watched Lex; his movements were graceful and purposeful yet full of a power Rei could not begin to understand, even for a person in her unique position.  She noted his skill was high because he was practicing with his eyes closed.  After almost fifteen minutes, Lex stopped and Rei, not wanting to offend her host, began clapping.  Lex whirled around at the sound of the clapping and saw his guest 

"Thank you" he said, still holding the weapon

He could see Rei's attention was however riveted to the sword.  Lex then handed her the weapon in the manner he had been taught, balancing it on his two hands

"Here, look at it more closely if you wish" he said and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast as Rei examined the weapon.

Its country of origin she could not tell, nor could she decipher the runes on the handle.  The sword's many unique features began with it having no guard at the top of the hilt and thought the blade started straight, it bowed in slightly until only the tip of the blade was in line with the rest of the blade and hilt.  But what Rei found astonishing was the elegant and beautiful patterns of fire that were etched into the blade from hilt to tip

"It is exquisite.  I can hardly believe that it is a weapon," she said in a soft voice as she ran her finger up the side of the blade tracing the flames when they suddenly lit up orange.

Rei gasped and dropped the sword in shock and caused Lex to run in

"What is wrong?" he asked

"The blade, its patterns glowed orange when I touched it" she said, the words seemed to make Lex crestfallen.

He closed his eyes and contemplated

[Goblins, curse their foul hides] he thought

"How brightly did it glow?" he enquired

"A faint hue, but noticeable" she replied

[There is still time then] he deduced

"Thank you.  Sit and have some breakfast.  Then I shall take you home" Lex said and walked down the hallway where the bedrooms were.

Rei sat down and began eating the cereals and milk Lex had lain out

"I have never known this level of kindness, I have missed out a great deal" she mused as she ate.

Lex travelled to the end of the corridor and opened another door, though this was locked with a padlock.  He opened the doors and lit a torch, and light gleamed over the many polished items in the room, Lex quickly searched out gifts for his friend.  He picked first an Elvish stone called a Shileer; a glimmering green gem in a necklace, it wasn't over elaborate: a simple four pointed star set in the tooth of a Dragon.  The top was ringed in gold and a small loop connected it to a platinum chain.  Satisfied with the jewellery, he then began to choose a small knife, lest she find trouble on her way home.  A small dagger, about three quarters of a foot long of Elvish design caught his eye and he picked it up and tested it: it was light and easy to wield as well as conceal

[Perfect] Lex picked it and went back to the main room

Rei was waiting with her other clothes in a small knapsack

"Okay, I am ready" she said.  Lex was clearly sad about her leaving

"Oh wait, I have some gifts for you" Lex stopped and handed her the knife

"Just in case you need some defence on the way home after I leave you, and this" he paused and presented the necklace

He motioned for Rei to lower her head so he could put it on her

"If you hold the tooth in your hand and concentrate, you can speak to me anytime" he said and fastened the latch: the chain was short so the tooth was in plain view, stopping about halfway down her sternum

"Thank you, but I have no gift for you," she said

"I know of a gift which you could give me" he continued and knelt on one knee

"I ask for your friendship," he said.

Rei smiled a little and knelt also.  Lex looked at Rei and the sheer radiance of her was breath taking

"You have it" she replied

Suddenly a foul creature slammed through the door, it held an axe in its hand; it squealed and leapt for the pair.  Lex's sword was out of reach and the Goblin would kill Rei before he could get the weapon, but he had other means with which to fight.  He held a hand out and bolts of lightning shot forth and killed the Goblin.

*************

Rei was stunned

"Come, there will be more soon" he said and gathered his smaller personal effects in a larger knapsack like Rei's

"What are you doing?" she asked, still frightened from both the Goblin's attack and Lex's response to it

"I am leaving.  When the Goblins come, there will be an army of them, and I cannot fight whole armies.  I will seal this place up and find a new home," he said

Rei thought for a minute when inspiration hit her

"The apartment building I live in is almost empty: I am its sole occupant, there would be enough space there for you" she said

Lex smiled

"Thank you.  Okay, lets go" he said

They ran out of the cave and Lex sealed the rock doors with a chant in his native tongue and the trudged out into the snow and made their way back to the resort where the rest of Rei's friends were staying.  It took almost two hours excluding rests that Rei needed to make because she was still tired from the ordeal yesterday, but eventually they came over a small hill and saw the building and several other devices that Lex did not recognise 

"The large machines with the blades on the top are called helicopters, those kind are used for search and rescue," she explained

"Then indeed someone wants you found, and most likely they wish you to be alive" Lex replied

Rei began waving her hands in an effort to gain someone's attention: it worked.  Soon a group of Nerv security officers dressed in snow camouflage with rifles approached her 

"1st Child.  Under the Securities of Personnel Act, I am required to take you into custody for deliberately inflicting a wound and going AWOL.  Please come with me" he began to reach for her arm

"Hold up good sir.  There has been a miscommunication here.  The lady was simply walking and fell, a rock under the snow cut her wrist" he smiled at Rei and winked

"I know because I bandaged it when she stumbled into my campsite last night, I believe she merely got lost in the snow, it has happened to many people" Lex interrupted

The guard was suspicious

"She spent the night with you?" he asked

"We shared a meal, words and a tent but nothing more" he assured the man

[I dare you, move] Lex studied the man, and the two others who looked like him on his flanks

"Very well" he accepted the semi-bullshit story and allowed Rei and Lex past him.

*******************

Shinji was the first to be out there and see if Rei was all right, and before Rei could say anything, Shinji had enveloped her in a hug so tight it was stopping her breathing

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you.  Please forgive me," he sobbed

"Let me go so I can breath" she said

Blushing, Shinji did as Rei asked

"There is nothing to forgive Shinji, I was being selfish; I know you love Asuka," she said.

This statement made Shinji go so red the snow on his face began to melt

"Well, I, um, that is ah" he stuttered before Rei kissed his forehead

"Go now and be with her big brother" she said and hugged him again

"Go before I drag you to her" she said

The joke was not lost on the boy but he did as he was told, but this time it was for a good reason.  Lex slowly walked up and put his hand on her shoulder

"So he is your brother", he said, she nodded and leaned in on Lex's chest

[I think I found the balance] she said to herself and yawned

"Come: let's get you in front of a fire, a small snack and a warm drink will do you good" Lex suggested.

Rei was really too tired to argue or disagree so Lex, carrying her like a cliché maiden took her inside and lay her on a couch, with him sitting near her head.  It wasn't long before Lex was drawing Rei's associates to himself

"Who are you?" a loud female German voice asked as Lex placed Rei on the couch

"I'm a friend of Rei's" Lex answered

[So, this is Asuka] he recognised her from the very accurate description Rei had given him

"Humph, I didn't think a doll could have friends" she sneered.

Lex growled and stood, rearing himself to his full height and looked into Asuka's eyes, his own burnt like embers of a fire

"Watch you tongue, lest you want it cut out," he threatened, narrowing his eyes till they were but orange slits that glowed with menace in the dimness of the lodge.

Asuka stepped back, although she loved Shinji dearly, as he did her (He had spoken to her a few minutes ago) but there was something about Rei that she found as a competition for him

"I don't want her to take Shinji away from me" she said through clenched teeth

"Pardon my ignorance, but isn't incest a crime?" Lex asked sarcastically

Asuka was dumbfounded

"You mean…" she stopped and Lex nodded, answering her unfinished question.

****************

Asuka studied the sleeping Rei, she had moved up so she would be resting her head on Lex's lap

"She's his sister" Asuka finally put 2 and 2 together

Lex merely nodded and sat down, placing Rei's head on a pillow situated in his lap.  Asuka shifted her eyes between the pair

[Ah ha, I get it now] she deduced and smiled, baring her teeth.

Asuka went and looked down on Lex with her hands on her hips

"I get it now, well tell me; do you love her?" Asuka asked sweetly

Lex's eyebrow twitched and redness spread across his cheeks

"It is no business of your's" he hissed

But the redness of his face was too much of a giveaway to what he felt.  Asuka just smiled and went on her way

"What ever you say buddy" she crowed before going to meet Hikari at the arcade

Toji and Shinji were already there, playing Time Crisis 2 co-op 

"So, you and Asuka huh" Toji said

Shinji smiled

"Yep, guess we'll just take it slow, that sort a thing" Shinji said

He pasted a bag guy on screen.  After a few minutes, Toji asked another question

"Who actually brought Rei back here?"

Shinji was puzzled

"I haven't met him: I think they're still in the lodge.  I must go and thank him later on," Shinji mentioned as the game ended

Toji turned and saw their girlfriends come in

"Over here" Toji called out, getting the girls' attention

"Hello Hikari" Shinji greeted his friend

That was before the sultry red head he called a girlfriend kissed him, rendering him unable to speak

"Kensuke will have a coronary when we get home" Hikari said

Toji put an arm around her waist in a rather possessive manner, and as Hikari looked at her friends and her own boyfriend, she though how lonely Rei must be, no one was very nice to her and she was ashamed to say that she was not very patient with Rei and didn't try to at least be friendly with her, but she remembered seeing the boy who brought her back

[I know he said that nothing of a 'intimate nature' happened, but not all intimacy is body related] she thought

Hikari was sure that something happened, because Rei was different, she could see it in her eyes: they were no longer dull and lifeless; they had that spark that was once not present.  Toji was also thinking about Rei's rescuer, there was something, noble, about how he conducted himself, like a king.

****************

Later that day, Misato announced that they were heading home via helicopter

"Hikari and Toji, I bummed a spot for you but any luggage will have to come in another chopper" she said

"What about Lex?" Rei asked

Misato blinked "I don't think he can come, Rei" 

Misato had not mentioned that the boy was to be apprehended and questioned about his dealings with Rei on the night she was missing.  Rei stood and left the room

"I am going to say goodbye", she said before closing the door.

Lex was out in the snow, a light fall was going and he revelled in its soft touch, he heard a slight crunch as Rei approached him, she watched as a lone snowflake touched Lex's lips

"I've often thought, since meeting you and falling in love with you, that a snowflake's light touch would feel the same as a kiss from you" he said and looked her in the eye

"I came to say goodbye, I am going back to Tokyo 3" Rei said, fighting back tears

"Back to the 3 warrior war.  I looked upon the mountain again today, before you woke up and sensed that there were no other Goblins, I can return home.  But I will miss you greatly" he said

Rei hugged Lex 

"I've never felt these feelings before, they scare me: I need your help" she sobbed.

Lex placed a finger on the necklace he gave her

"Do you not remember; this necklace gives you the power to speak with me at any time, merely concentrate on me and it will link your mind to mine" he explained again.

Rei was slightly elated by that, but she needed something, just some kind of physical memory when she had a thought

"You said that a snowflake's soft touch would be like a kiss from me," she began

Lex nodded and Rei stretched up and kissed him, the soft lingering kind a young person gives to their sweetheart.  Shinji had been sent to find Rei and turned a corner, only to find something out of a dream: Rei, his best friend was kissing someone and he felt proud of her

[She found someone] he thought and quietly backed away.

Rei broke the kiss after Shinji left; she prolonged it for his benefit so he could tell the others

"Now you know," Rei said before leaving

"Yes, you're lips are softer and have a sweetness that even the best nectars of nature could never surpass, farewell Rei Ayanami.  We shall meet again" he called out

Rei smiled with warmth she never knew before: love.

*******************

The helicopters took off, creating a small snow storm on the ground, but with very few other guests and skiers it went unnoticed and they flew over the mountain, but as they passed the area that Rei had been near the previous night they saw something written in the snow in symbols that no one recognised, Rei leant over to see it

{_It means 'I love you'.  The runes are Elvish, like the ones on my sword_} a voice in Rei's head said, she blinked and looked at the gem: it was glowing slightly

{_It's brightness shows also how much power I am exerting, the brighter it glows, the more power I am using, so keep it out of sight if it gets brighter than is should_} Lex advised.

Rei clutched the tooth, her thumb on the gem and concentrated, closing her eyes to do so 

{_Can you also tell the same about me?_} Rei asked

{_Yes, and the gem will glow different shades of green when my emotional state changes, as the one I wear will change to red if you are in peril_} he added.

Rei smiled {Good_bye Lex, I hope to see you soon_} Rei said before she opened her eyes 

{_As I do you, Lady of 3rd Tokyo_} was the last thing she heard before he left her mind.  

The commander, who had joined them for this trip watched her admire the jewellery 

"Where did you get that?" he demanded

Rei looked up at him, and for the first time in his presence, she shuddered and felt unsafe 

"Lex gave it me," she answered 

"Who is Lex?" Gendo pressed

He was sure he knew the name but could not yet place it

"He is a friend of mine, the one who brought me back to the resort" Rei replied and looked away

[Ah, the boy who I am bringing in for questioning], he knew him now.

Gendo looked again at the necklace

[She cannot have it, it is a memory and an attachment] he decided

Slowly he reached for the necklace and took hold of it, but instead of yanking it off, as he planned, Gendo suddenly felt weak and was frozen and his eyes seemed distant, but no one could tell for his glasses and to an observer he was simply examining the item.

******************

_Gendo found himself in a large area of grass, trees everywhere and a crystal clear lake _

_"So, you are the commander who willed her not to feel"_

_ Gendo spun around at the sound of the voice: before him stood a boy, about 14 but he was dressed in mail and armour.  Behind him flapped a long flowing cape of red and a sword of an unrecognisable design hung at his waist._

_The boy warrior narrowed his eyes_

_ "I am the one Rei calls Lex.  Know this: if you come to the Lady Rei and bare her ill hand or ill will,"_

_He paused and drew his sword, which glowed red as if on fire_

_ "Then you shall feel the sharp end of this blade" he finished_

_Lex handed the weapon to Gendo so he could examine the sword for himself; he promptly tried to stab Lex with it.  The boy cackled and his eyes, once normal in shape became oval shaped like a lizard _

_"Foolish mortal, this is my domain, you have no power here" his voice now akin to the deep growl of a great beast_

_Gendo suddenly felt himself slam into a tree nearby; the sword was floating back to its master.  Lex then placed the blade under Gendo's chin and forced him to look into his orange eyes_

_ "And so I warn you" Lex said and walked towards the commander_

_"Rei is to be granted her emotional freedom, or one day, you shall feel a fell wind across your neck, and it will be the wind of my arm rising ere I cut your head off" he spoke in that same growl as before_

_Only this time with a fire in his eyes of the likes Gendo had never seen, or would ever see again_.

********************

The dream world faded from view and Gendo was no longer immobile, he carefully but quickly released the jewellery from his grip and leaned back in his seat, and for the rest of the trip to Tokyo 3, he did not look Rei in the eye.  By the time everyone got home, they were stiff and tired; all of the kids were at Misato's

"Okay guys, you can all bunk here: Asuka and Hikari in her room, Shinji grab the spare mattress for Toji, Rei I've go an airbed you can use and put it in Asuka's room" Misato outlined the sleeping arrangements

Misato was also casting glances at Shinji and Toji that made them blush slightly.  Rei sat on the couch and ran her fingers over the pendent, smiling she began to concentrate

{_Lex.  I love you too_} she said

Rei closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep: that simple act required a lot of bravery from her.  Misato sighed as she found Rei asleep on the couch, so instead of disturbing the girl, she just laid a blanket over her and left her as she was

[Sorry Rei, but they'll have him soon] she though bitterly and went to bed.

*****************

Back at the mountain, Lex was still walking home; it was a stormless night so he was able to stroll leisurely when he stopped in a clearing with a sigh and a chuckle

"Okay, who ever you are.  Come out now" he said

He spoke loud enough for the 10 Nerv officers to hear him.  Growling the group showed themselves 

"Lex.  You are hereby being detained and questioned on the activities on the night of October the 13th, the night in which you claim the 1st Child spent in your campsite" the lead guard said.

Lex smiled and snorted

"Now, heed these words carefully.  What happened between the Lady Rei and I is between the Lady Rei and I: you will get no further speech from me" he started

"And if I find out you have caused her ill, I shall hunt you all down and personally remove your heads.  Now, leave this place and never return" he finished

Lex resumed walking.  Infuriated, the lead guard tried to restrain Lex, but he only succeeded in signing his own death warrant: he had placed his hand on Lex's left shoulder, but quick as lightning, Lex grabbed him with his own right hand, and twisted it.  Then with his left hand, Lex hit the elbow of the man's arm with enough force to break it.  Lex then summoned the Reptilias (his sword) and ran the man thought with it.  Most of the guards stepped back in shock; they had never seen a person move that fast or summon a weapon from thin air, let alone a boy.  Lex looked at the Reptilias and at his remaining foes

"You have seen my power, therefore this place will be your tomb" he said and rose the sword high

"Fire Rain!" he cried.

The guards looked up and the sky had turned red, like that of blood and began hurtling columns of fire and molten rock, most of it hit the guards but some landed in the snow, causing steam to hiss from the ground like an angry snake.  When the battle was finished and the spell exhausted; not a single iota of Nerv's finest tracking and stealth team bar their ashes were left.  Lex collected it up and scattered it across the wilderness

"May you find peace in the next life, misguided fools" he prayed for the souls of the Nerv men, for they were only sent to get him, not to fight him

[I'll wager that foul commander had a hand in this little encounter.  He'll learn to keep his men from meddling in the affairs of others soon enough, even if have to go hither to his own domain and face him there] he decided

Lex was not a violent person, even when provoked he was calm but to detain him without reason and demand private details, that was out of line.  He grumbled and continued home.

****************

_Rei was in a land of green, gold and blue.  The grass was soft but not wet under her bare feet and the warm air was a refreshing to change to the almost stinking hot temperatures in Tokyo 3.  The trees she was surrounded by were not the generic evergreens of her native city but of all colours and shapes and sizes.  She walked around in a captivated trance of the sheer beauty of this place, and her favourite part was a large crystal clear lake that ran through the clearing she was in _

_[This is wondrous] Rei thought as she passed into the woods_

_The forest canopy was enclosed so Rei was shielded but it let enough light in so that she could see.  After what seemed like hours simply wondering in the woods, Rei came out and was treated to the most spectacular sight she had ever seen: a giant white castle set upon a mountain.  She could see from her vantage point what looked like a natural viaduct towards the entrance and upon the great gate was a banner set in dark violet, with a black, redlined four-pointed star.  After she observed that, Rei saw three great spires coming up from 3 of larger parts of the castle; and on top of each spire was a symbol: a yellow Sun, a red Lightning Bolt and a white Moon_.

**************

Suddenly a flash blinded Rei and she woke up on the couch

[What was that place.  It felt so safe and, homely] Rei had to search for the right word to describe what she had felt when in that dream world.

Rei put her hand on her face and ran it down her face till it hit the necklace

"I still have this" she mused 

Quickly while she was alone, Rei pulled the Elvish dagger out and examined it: it was remarkably light but its sharpness was unquestionable in Rei's heart.  When the opening of a door alerted her to the fact that other people were up, Rei hid the dagger in her jacket and got up, the occupants of the apartment would not see it as the gift it was.  Misato came through the door to the main room

"Hi Rei, if you're hungry…" she stopped when the front door slammed shut

[She must know then] Misato thought as the girl left.

Before she could lament, the phone rang

"Katsuragi" she answered

\Misato, is Rei still with you?\ Ritsuko asked.

Misato answered that Rei had just left

"Why, what's wrong?" Misato enquired

\Well, when the security team didn't check in, we got another team up to find them, all they found were some ashes.  We fear that there may be a danger to the pilots from the boy Rei met in the mountains\ Ritsuko answered

Misato was speechless.

****************

Lex sat in his vast cavern home and was running a stone over the blade of his sword; a collection of daggers and other bladed weapons lay on cloths next to him

[They will now most likely assume that there is danger to Rei and her 2 fellows.  Fools, I am no threat to them.  Rei, I miss her terribly, I should have gone to the city with her, to protect and to love her] Lex reflected on his choice to come back home

Suddenly it felt less like a home without his blue haired crush

{_Lex_} the voice of Rei made Lex drop the stone from his hand

{_You have just put a light in my dark thoughts_} he replied.

The complement made Rei blush as she sat on her bed; she'd only just walked in the door

{_Is there something wrong?_} Lex asked when Rei did not respond

{_Yes.  I can feel the next Angel coming, for I am half Angel.  And instead of indifference, I'm afraid.  I know I cannot defeat it without dying, but I don't want to die_} she said at length.

Lex smiled and sent a wave of happiness her way

{_Do not worry, the necklace you have holds much power, and I will be keeping a careful eye on you_} he reassured her.  
  


Rei was going to reply but she heard the alarms

{_I must go.  This is hard for me to say, but; goodbye_} she added and stopped concentrating and left for Nerv

Even though she had been told that this Angel would kill her, though deep in her heart she was no longer absolutely sure about it.  Lex sat in a deep meditative state; he would use this enhanced sensory state to keep tabs on Rei and just in case, Lex had used his gift to add a little more security to his lady love's person, whether she was in Eva or not.  The Angel was a long white snake, no eyes or other discernable features, Rei was stationed about a hundred feet from it behind a large tunnel and unconsciously she was fiddling with her necklace, which remained almost fixed to her suit as it did not bob up and down in the L.C.L. like she had expected it to, so it was not an obstruction

"Okay Rei.  Shinji is in standby position down here; Asuka is your backup.  Now keep your distance as best you can until a weakness is discovered" Misato ordered

Both gave affirmative answers and waited and observed the Angel.  Rei nearly growled in frustration, as the Angel appeared to just be zigzagging along enjoying the countryside, but suddenly it struck, going straight through the Eva and began infecting it.  Rei grabbed the body and shot it twice, but to no avail.

******************

Lex could feel Rei's distress and instantly acted on it

"Gar ru shan, larg hur mar.  In ca ro" he said a chant in his native language

Then from his body a great white light pulsated and shot up and towards the city of Tokyo 3, and with that done, Lex settled on attending to a more pressing matter, stoping the Angel from infecting Rei, and after that, Lex continued to concentrate on the light he sent.  Indeed as he was acting on it, Rei was being bio-fused to the Angel, she was feeling a pain like no other and she grit her teeth in agony.  Outside, Asuka was trying to somehow get the Angel off her comrade without it touching her: she tried cutting it with an axe, shooting and stabbing it with a spear but all to no avail and she was getting frustrated; although she didn't like Rei much; she could at leats try and get along with her boyfriend's sister, Asuka looked and saw a light lancing towards them at high speed

"Oh great, more bad news" she commented wryly.

Within her plug Rei looked down and saw her necklace's gem stone glow bright green and suddenly a white field encased her body and pushed all the veins that denoted the Angel's fusion with her off her body and she was no longer in immediate pain, but she was rendered unconscious by her throbbing after pains so she did not see the bright light Asuka saw taking shape.  Inside the control room, the occupants had long seen the matter was out of their hands and were busy trying to find any data on the light now taking shape outside, well, they were until two great white capsules came crashing down around them, Misato looked in disbelief

"The entry plugs?" she cried in confusion

Techs opened the white tubes, and out of each one its owner was taken out, carried in Rei's case and helped only in Asuka's case, but soon a statement drew their attention to Maya

"The light has taken shape," she said.

***************

The Angel regarded this new adversary with interest; it stood about the same height as the robots that it tried to kill but was more lithe in the shoulder and torso areas.  Also the armour was that of plate and mail, but mainly plating, especially on the tail.  The feet had four massive toes, each tipped with a great claw, but the foot's colour was unknown as it was covered up to where the claw began, which was of onyx hue.

It had powerful arms with a claw shaped hand with a distinct reptilian appearance and like the toes, was adorned with armour to the start of more claws.

The head was covered in a helmet so its facial features could not be accurately guessed; but a large single horn, rather like Eva 1's stood on the helmet, whether a part of the creatures natural look or a helmet feature no one knew, and a delta was on the helmet, the main horn was in the bend so it was flanked by each side of the delta.

The helmet itself was like that of a samurai but narrower and the visor was solid, bar a slit for eyes and one that went from the brow to the bridge of the nose by rough estimation, a purple glow could be seen inside the visor.

On the back was a large shell like structure whose purpose no one guessed and a long sword hung at its waist, an old style broad sword designed for two handed wielding, small daggers were also visible at many points on the armour.  The great creature lifted an arm and pointed it at the Angel

"Sill gar Draken Kildat.  Sio neh, bau grat soray, Rei fe 3rd To; fu sen rel nor liva" it snarled, making most of the people quiver with fear

Although Rei heard a translation, no doubt compliments of her necklace

[I am a Draken Knight.  And for attacking the Lady Rei of 3rd Tokyo, I will now banish you to the realm of death] the voice was deep and almost a growl.

It drew its sword held it in an old fashioned salute and then charged, slicing at the Angel; it barely dodged the surprisingly quick attack of its new adversary but the follow up cut severed the Angel in two, setting it alight as the if the blade were on fire.  Soon the Angel was reduced to mere ashes but the commander in his paranoia had launched Unit 01 with a long katana style sword with which to combat the being that had killed it

"Pilot.  Kill this knight" Gendo ordered

The creature was now known as the Knight and so Shinji charged and brought his blade down at the head of the Knight.  But it had nonchalantly raised an arm and blocked the blow and to Gendo's horror, the solid titanium blade of Unit 1's sword broke into shards upon impact; whatever that armour was made from it was stronger than an Eva's; because if that had been another Eva, the arm would be flapping on the ground, the Knight looked into the eyes of Unit 1 and it seemed to see kinship.

Shinji was confused when the Eva moved by itself and dropped the sword helm, and even more shocked when it held its arm out in a gesture of friendship to the Knight and returned the gesture and the two locked arms: a silent pact was reached and Knight handed Eva 1 its own sword and turned around slowly walking away, much to the shock of the command crew.

****************

Gendo however was angrier rather than shocked

"PILOT IKARI!  YOU WILL KILL THE KNIGHT" he bellowed

"But the Eva isn't responding" he replied helplessly

The creature seemed to hear that statement and looked straight at Gendo through a camera

"Commander.  Know this: my immortal lord Alexteerian commanded that I save the one known as Rei; and to remind you; bear her ill will or gesture and he will kill you"

It's eyes glowed in such a way that it seemed as if the Knight was smirking

"And my lord is not idle in his promises" the Knight spoke in a deep booming voice now; his tail swished angrily behind him as he spoke.

Gendo ignored all the stares the crew were directing at him; he furrowed his brow as it to say: 'prove it' to the Knight.  And the Knight even read the message that way but how he saw Gendo is anybody's guess

"I shall prove my lord's power by demonstrating it, scaled down a hundred thousands fold" he said

The shell unfurled into two great red wings, the parts where skin connected to bone were also in armour but were edged with blades, and the Knight easily lifted himself to the sky: his keen purple eyes sought out a mountain that was empty and devoid of all but basic animal and plant life, he grinned beneath his visor and blasted a bolt of fire-laced lightning at the mountain, totally levelling it, and disintegrating the debris.  Unit 1 even seemed to grin with a deadly glint in its eyes

"Multiply that by ten thousands and you have a rough gauge of his true power, and now I bid you farewell" the Knight said and again turned to light and disappeared from view.

**************

The whole of Nerv was too shocked and to a great extent even frightened of what happened but before panic could ensue, Gendo spoke

"Attention.  This is to remain top secret.  Not a single person other than essential staff is to be notified of this, no press are to be told and no politicians or liaison officers.  The first to do so will answer to me directly," he said

Although the Knight was scary, Gendo was a closer and more identifiable threat so the crew crisply saluted and shouted

"Yes sir!" at the top of their lungs

Gendo summoned his old friend and mentor Fuyutski to his office, no doubt to discuss the obvious ramifications this event would have.  Meanwhile, Shinji had returned to base once his control over the Eva had returned, but the sword the Knight had given him had disappeared without a trace, like it original owner.

Shinji was with his fellow pilots in a briefing room, Misato was there too and by the look on her face, she wasn't happy

"Okay, Rei.  I demand to know everything about what happened that night, no lies, I want it straight and I want it now" Misato shouted at the girl

Rei sat twirling the necklace in her fingers

"And stop playing with that" she growled

Misato grabbed the necklace, a mistake: out of the gemstone came a great current of lightning that flung Misato back almost 3 feet 

"If you wish to know, then I will take you to meet Lex at his home, he will explain it," she said

Rei went to a phone to charter a Nerv transport for the Kyoto 2 mountains they were at only yesterday.  After the call, she concentrated on Lex

{_Lex.  I am coming to see you, and I am bringing some friends.  The one's from the resort, my brother is among them_} she said to him, indicating no debate

{_I shall prepare for your arrival_} he replied and Rei hung up, so to speak.

An hour later, they were departing and Ritsuko and the deck bunnies had demanded to come also

"I can sign the authorisation papers so they needn't go by the commander, as I gather secrecy is of the upmost importance here"

Ritsuko reasoned.  Rei contacted Lex to ask him to prepare for four more guests and gave her reason

{_If it will avoid complications in reaching here, I agree to the terms_} he said and cut the link to put more food on the cooker.

The trip was a long one, most of the occupants slept until touchdown at the resort for then the pilot woke them and helped them disembark: they brought little luggage, only what would fit in a hiking pack and they trudged up the path Rei guided them on, fortunately it was not snowing nor was there a wind so the trek was easier than most would be in such an area.  They walked for a few hours; stopping a few times to eat and drink warm chocolate from thermoses.  At around 5 o'clock, they came to the opening of a cave

"Thank god, we can rest here" Asuka wailed

The others murmured in agreement but all Rei did was smile, she was wearing the clothes that Lex hag given her on the second day of her stay in his house.  While the others stocked a fire, Rei contacted Lex

{_Where's the door?_} she asked, Lex soon told her of the small markers he had made; she followed them to a wall.

She looked it up and down

[I'll assume this is the door] she observed dryly and asked the password

{_Mir-yastor-nye_} he said and ran through the pronunciation several times until Rei understood how to say it.

Rei was puzzled about what the password actually meant

{_What does it mean?_}, she asked.

Lex nearly choked when the question was asked

[Oh boy] he thought 

{_Well, it means, 'know the feeling', it relates to how to discover love, not by a physical attraction but a common feeling.  Kind of a ballad_} he explained

That was the literal translation of the words, it really meant: to find love, you must know hate, an old proverb of Lex's people.

*************

Rei looked the wall up and down and then spoke the password

"Mir-yastor-nye" as loud as she could without distorting the words.

It took a few seconds but the doors did open, and Lex was waiting on the other side, that same warm look on his face as when Rei first met him

"Everyone.  Over here" Rei called out

At first, Shinji was the only one to show interest but as he called out, they soon all joined him.  Lex smiled and gave a small bow

"Welcome to my home" he said

Lex opened an arm in a gesture of welcome to his visitors, who gladly came in out of the cold into the warmth of his fire heated home.  With torches lighting all the passageways and rooms: the cavern was always warm in winter, and in summer, he used special stones of an unknown nature to illuminate the place.

Aoba and Makoto soon asked the way to the toilet: Lex led them to a room far from the others and opened it; there was a latrine, and a deep hole was the toilet 

"What's down there?" Aoba asked

Lex looked down and the up at his two guests

"I don't know.  And I never intend to discover what is down that chasm as long as I live" he answered and left the two humans to their business.

When he returned he saw that Misato was in his fridge

"Do you seek a drink?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at her

"Anything alcoholic?" she asked, Lex chuckled,

"In a barrel over by the larder, I have ale of great taste and strength.  You will find a tankard in that cupboard," he pointed to a large wooden barrel and the cupboard near it.

Maya was helping him with the food and soon, a large and proud spread was on his large wooden table and after a good meal and much merry making, they all sat down in his living room, Lex noted that Shinji and Asuka sat very close together.

****************

Misato and Shinji asked to be told of the Knight and the transportation of the plugs and if any of it was Lex's doing

"This tale is long winded and complex, I shall tell only what is needed to explain the goings on that you know of" he said and began his story.

It was still many hours in telling but they were all satisfied and also amazed

"There are bedrooms here, but I wasn't expecting to cater for 8.  You may have to double up," he said, noting the twinkles in some eyes among his guests.

He led them to rooms that held mainly a pair of double beds, but Makoto and Aoba got one with two single beds, being the boys that they were they wanted to be able to talk all night

Shinji and Asuka were given a room, Misato wanted to stay up and speak to Lex some more and Ritsuko and Maya were given a bedroom like Asuka and Shinji and Rei found the room she had last time.

Misato poured her self another ale

"So Lex, how old are you?" she asked as the young (looking) boy drank a pint

"Would you believe me if I told you?" he countered

Misato bent her head back and cackled

"After seeing what I've seen, right now I am willing to believe anything" she said and took another sip of her ale

"500, 000 years old.  I am immortal," he said

Ale suddenly went flying across the room into the fire, causing a flame increase

"What!  You're half a million years old.  How many lovers have you had?" she demanded all the sordid detail

"None.  I am, 'unspoiled' if you will" he said, a faint tinge of red on his face.

Rei woke up when Misato cried out and went to see what was going on

"You've been kicking around for half a million years and you've never had a good screw.  Are you gay?" she asked

"So far as I am aware, gay means happy.  And before I give any response, I wish to know the secondary meaning of the word" he said

Lex had a semi-horrified look on his face

"Are you a homosexual, do you party in the shade; do you work in a fudge packing factory?  Are you a man who likes men in the way he would expect to like women?" she asked

Lex's face slowly went from horrified to downright confused

"Does this occur much among your people?" he asked Misato.

Rei couldn't believe it, not so much that Lex was older than human kind, but that he was a virgin; she began to smile; then giggle until Rei was rolling around on the floor in stiches when she thought about Lex's facial expressions.

*******************

Misato dropped her ale when she heard Rei laugh, and she even stared and let her mouth hang open when she saw Rei rolling around on the floor, tears streaming down her face 

"Is something amusing Rei?" Lex asked, a genuine look of surprise on his face

"The, lo- look on, yo- your face" she struggled to get the words out over the laughter until she couldn't breath properly.

Most of the others were going to look; except Shinji and Asuka who were in a deep sleep.  The others had stuck their heads out to see the miracle that was Rei laughing.  After being shoed back to their rooms, Rei went and sat on the couch with Lex

"That's the first time I remember laughing," she said

Lex missed the other obvious connotation in that statement and drew the girl into a tender hug with an arm, but Rei was so relaxed she fell right into his lap.  Rei's head was laid across Lex's thighs

[Well, how do I proceed from this point?] Lex questioned.  
  


After careful thought, he decided to make it so they were at least lying down on the couch; lifting Rei's legs up at the command of his mind, he then levitated her whole body so he was able to stretch across the couch.  Then Lex placed Rei next to him on her side, her head now resting on his shoulder and her arm splayed across his chest, while her chest was pressed into his side

[Sleep, not mate.  Sleep, not mate.  Sleep, not mate.  Sleep, not mate.  Sleep, not mate] he repeated in his head until he fell asleep

A blanket was not needed for the fire and heat of their bodies was warmth enough.

****************

The commander sat at his desk; although his posture remained solid, he was fuming with rage on the inside

[They all betrayed me: never mind.  I will have the last laugh when the final messenger arrives.  They will beg me to take them back] he thought and smiled with malice.

Fuyutski was in the gym meditating before his daily karate practice

[I'm surprised at this age I can still do half the moves I could I do when I was 30] he mused as he began to warm up

[I feel so sorry for those kids, Shinji especially.  I remember when he called me 'uncle Fuytski' because he couldn't quite get the name right, I was nearly so happy I could cry] he reminisced while doing katas

"He's so much like his mother and I am very thankful for that" the old man said this aloud, and delivered a viscous kick to an imaginary opponent, a kick that could nearly snap a man in two.

Fuyutski ended his session as always with a small prayer for Yui and the pilots

"God help them" he said and left the gym.

*****************

Rei awoke to see a sleeping Lex next to her; she blinked and sat up to examine the surroundings

[His home, I almost believed for a minute o was dreaming about being here] she was overjoyed

Knowing she really was in the house of a good friend, whom she had fallen in love with, she knew this since they parted, and for the first time: she loved someone and they loved her back.

What concerned her was that he could live forever and she could not, not the same way as him anyway and she didn't want to leave him knowing he wouldn't follow her, she got up and went into the kitchen to round up a meal, she found some bread and butter, a few eggs and a tomato.  So Rei quickly began to scramble the eggs and fry the tomato.  When she finished that, Rei toasted the bread and buttered it

[Mmm, yummy] she thought and ate her breakfast.

The smell had roused her housemates and soon the kitchen was full of people eating and laughing

[Like one big happy family] Rei observed and stepped out, crowds still made her uneasy.

Lex was practicing with Reptilias again, so as before Rei sat and watched him, she enjoyed it because it was like watching a dancer.  Before Lex really got down to business, Rei sensed the last Angel, and it was coming their way and would reach them in a few days

"Its coming" she said softly and ran outside.

Right into a trap: Gendo had organised troops during the night and she was seized the instant she walked outside by guards and knocked out with chloroform, but Lex's hearing and Misato's soldier instincts told them something was amiss and they bolted outside to see the commander holding a gun to the unconscious Rei's head  
  


"Now do you realise that I am master of this world," he said, gloating.

Lex growled

"You nothing more than a cowardly dictator.  And in my homeland, such people soon fall and are killed for their crimes" he screamed

"You don't frighten me boy" Gendo retorted, pressing the gun into Rei's head

Lex almost roared

"Mark these words commander: when you taunt the dragon, expect to be bitten" Lex spoke of a proverb from his home, such a saying had great relevance to him, in many different and dangerous ways.

Gendo was not convinced "Do not worry Lex, I won't harm her, I still need her and the pilots to defeat the Angels," he said

Lex ignored him and sent a telepathic message to the lake near the lodge, and underneath its frozen surface, two pairs of eyes opened.  Gendo ordered his men to arrest the wayward Nerv officers and detain the pilots unless needed for battle

******************

{_Lex don't fight, you can't win right now, if you can come and get us all later, do it, but please don't risk it now_} Rei used her subconscious to beseech him not to attack.

Lex very reluctantly stood down, but the others saw the look in his eyes; he'd be coming, and Shinji had a quaking feeling that it wouldn't be too long nor would he be alone.  When they were all gone, Lex stormed inside

{_Okay.  Glacier, Frostbite; you are to go to 3rd Tokyo.  Stay out of sight, but if you see these people in the open, get them_} he paused and sent them mental pictures of those he wanted saved

{_It is doubtful that the blue haired girl will be let in the open, but I will get her myself when I go to that city, and I'm going in force_} he said

{_What force sire?_} Glacier asked

{_I'm raising the army of Duman-Dur.  The commander will know what true strength is soon enough_} he outlined his plan to the pair of dragon spies he was sending to the city

Lex went into the depths of his mountain home to two of the biggest iron doors known to man.

He approached a small podium with several small coloured stones on it and pressed a sequence on the stones.  Light filled the room and a portal opened to Lex's world and he stepped through it.  A great ivory room was what he ended up in, the throne room of Duman-Dur: his parents weren't there for they had passed on to the Lands Beyond on the boats that left from Silverden Shore many years ago.  His uncle Viperion was in charge because he was Regent of Duman-Dur

"Sire!" a guard said when he caught sight of Lex

"Guard.  Summon my uncle, I wish to ask a favour," he said

The guard saluted and went to get Viperion for him.  The two were soon in a small room with a table and some food

"So, this man has taken the girl you love then?" Viperion asked

Lex nodded and drank some wine

"He is holding her captive in his fortress city.  Glacier and Frostbite are seeking out her friends to get them to safety" he explained

"I will personally go and get Rei from 3rd Tokyo, and if he gets in my way" Lex paused and crushed the goblet in his hand

Fortunately it was only bronze

"So you wish to take the army?" his uncle pressed

"I won't need more than seven hundred.  I shall also have twenty Driders; that should be sufficient to rescue her, and vanquish the commander once and for all!" Lex slammed the table with his fist as he spoke.

Viperion needed little convincing in the matter and soon mobilised the best of Duman-Dur's soldiers and Driders for war.  Lex stood at their head in his father's armour

"TO WAR!" he cried.

*************

The last Angel, Tabris, had been defeated; but at great personal cost: he had hid himself in the human body of a new pilot named Kaoru and Shinji had to kill him.  Had it not been for Asuka's support, he would have broken down completely, they were still being kept prisoner.

Rei as far as anyone knew: she was being tortured by Gendo, every now and then she was dumped in the cell with her brother and comrade, obviously beaten and broken but never would she speak to anyone, they had taken her necklace, and because of that, she couldn't speak to Lex or even draw comfort from it.

Ritsuko, Maya and Hyuga were in jail and Aoba had been executed.  It was their 20th day of incarceration when they received news of Seele's invasion and that they would be executed by the troops, and now all hope seemed lost.

A lone soldier was having a smoke at his post while waiting for his friend to get off the can when he heard the clanking of metal 

"What the fuck?' he said and flicked his smoke away and readied his rifle

He looked over the knoll

"Holy shit" he gasped

Over 700 large and well-armed men were marching on the roads

 "What's this, they're armed with swords and shields, is something weird going here or what?" he commented

Those would be his last words as three arrows were stuck in his chest and he fell dead.  Soon, other soldiers were coming, but the onslaught was to powerful, the armour was proofed against anything they could throw, even rockets and soon the ground was red with blood from the enemy soldiers as Lex and his men marched under the Dragon banner of Duman-Dur.

The people had been placed under marshal law and were so overjoyed to see another force at work here that they cheered and clapped them as the marched down Tokyo 3 Main St.  Even the mighty JSSDF Air Force was no match for the Driders of Duman-Dur and now the people felt in awe as the mighty red Lava Dragons and their riders soared across the sky, until the army at last stopped near the main gates of Nerv.  Lex stepped forward and grabbed one of the hapless guards

"Where are they?" he demanded in a steely voice

"Down in the cells, the girl you're looking for is most likely dead" he spoke the truth, not to spite but to help

"If she is, then the commander's life will be forfeit" he snarled and threw the guard down.

Lex placed his hand at the door and blasted it open

"You all know who to look for, ignore anyone who stays out of your way and kill everything that attacks you.  Frostbite, Glacier" he commanded the Ice Dragons to him.

The two ice blue Dragons landed at his feet, he smiled and spoke

"You two will stay here; I will need you two to get my friends away from here" he paused and turned to his men

"Okay, lets go" he said and led the way into Nerv.

Using their amazing sensory skills, the soldiers were able to find the cells in a short amount of time.  When Misato first heard the boots, she was sure that Seele had come to kill them, but the clanking was of metal, not rubber boots and soldiers wore rubber boots 

"Heads up" she called to the others who prepared for the worst.

Lex tried to find Rei

[She's not here; I must find her.  But her friends will be freed] he decided and ordered his men to open the cells and he ran off trying to find her life force

Shinji was prepared for almost anything, except big guys who looked like extras from King Arthur

"Are you Lord Shinji and Lady Asuka?" the man asked

Asuka, ever eager to boost her status nodded

"Good, Prince Lex wishes for us to take you to safety.  Your other friends will be with you shortly" he said and led them out until most of them were in a group somewhere

A solider raised his hand and fired a beam of energy upwards, until they could see the sky 

"Men.  Spread your wings and fly" the captain said and grabbed Misato

She and her friends watching in shock as each soldier unfurled great wings and leapt into the sky; carrying them all to safety

"What about my sister?" Shinji asked

"Prince Lex has gone for the Lady Rei himself, I believe that he wishes to make her queen.  But don't tell her" the soldier said

They landed at the entrance the Draken came from; the troops were putting them onto the dragons when one of them dropped two kids at his captain's feet

"I found them snooping around sir" he said: it was Hikari and Toji.

Shinji was speechless

"What are you two doing here?" Asuka asked

"Well, we heard that an army had come to liberate the city and when we snuck out of home to see them, but this big dude caught us" Toji said

"Get them on the dragons, we don't have time for their parents though" the captain said 

"Our parents are dead, killed by the Seele forces," Hikari explained.

The knight that found them looked to his captain "I am sure that the prince will allow them to come, they seem to be friends of these people" he said and placed them on Glacier

"Okay, first and second battalion.  We're staying here for the prince, the rest of you bar Captain Gallaran of the Driders will leave and take them to safety, we have liberated the city but there is nothing left for these people here.  Go" he commanded.

*******************

The dragons and the Driders flew away, the soldiers soon followed; there were only fifty of Lex's personal guards left

"Come, we go to help the King" he said

He had deliberately called Lex the king to rouse his troops, because if this went smoothly, then Lex would become king in a few short years, and then the horns of the Draken would sound and the guards would call the King of Duman-Dur home with the Queen.

Lex was running and slicing down guards as he went to the place where they held Rei and he soon came to a set of doors, he blew them open without a second thought and in its centre, illuminated by a circle of white light, sat Rei, naked, gagged and tied to a chair and a man stood behind her.

Lex advanced, snarling

"I warned someone that if they ever bore her ill will or harm, I would kill them" he paused and drew Reptilias, the blade glowing with the fury of its master

"And you shall be no exception" he said and flew forward so fast that he cut the man in two before his gun was even raised.

Clapping alerted Lex to the presence of others in the room; he spun to see several armed men, with about 14 others

"Well done, I must say we never thought that anyone bar Ikari's son would ever develop a genuine attachment to the 1st Child, but you have.  And so I think you should be told of her origins" the oldest man with a visor said

He pressed a button and the room was bathed in light, Lex looked around and saw a horrifying sight.  A tank surrounded the room, and in that tank were copies of the girl he loved, each one had a blank but disturbing smile on its face, and laughed a hollow laugh.  He could see the commander leaning against the wall

"Impressed boy?  I am," he said.

Lex then fulfilled a desire, one of many and threw a knife into Gendo's throat

"Why thank you.  We were doing that later but you saved us the trouble" another of the group said

"It was a pleasure" he replied and turned to go and get Rei

"You should know that she is half Angel, like the kind they destroy, she is only half human and is without her own soul, but a shallow copy of her mother's" the old man said again.

They expected to hear a gasp of horror, but all they heard was laughter "Fools, even after all I and my men have done, you understand not what you meddled with" he said

Lex wrapped Rei in the cloak from his suit and held her like maiden

"I am leaving this world, I can see you bringing your own apocalypse upon yourselves," he said

His remaining men charged in at that time and killed the guards, leaving only the 14 unarmed men

"Captain, take her to the mountains, I will follow shortly" he said and handed him the girl.

The soldier took her and left, taking his men with him, leaving only Lex and the men; the prince smiled in a sinister manner

"Now mortals, you shall look upon a power long since departed from these shores and earth.  A power that surpasses your's by leagues" he said

Lex began to glow a brilliant crimson: blinding his audience

"What are you?" one of them asked as the light cleared

"I am Alexteerian, King of the Draken and lord of Duman-Dur.  Now humans; look upon the power of the half-breed" he gloated as he revealed his alternative form.

****************

He stood almost nine feet tall, a long tail dragged on the ground slightly; he had great reptilian legs with powerful muscles and long silver claws, a thick body and broad shoulders made up his upper parts and his head had grown a short round snout and his hair had spiked back and hardened into a crest.

His hands were of reptilian origin and like his feet were tipped with sharp silver claws.  The armour he was wearing had stretched to accommodate his change, making him sleeker and more heavily armoured.  Lex grinned, baring his sharp teeth

"See, I am the link between men and Dragons.  And I am your messenger of death" he said

His eye strayed to Gendo's hand: in it was Rei's necklace.  He grabbed it and flew upwards, breaking through floors as he went until he reached the open sky: he used his sensory powers to scan Nerv, aside from the 14 in the deep chamber, it was lifeless, all the workers and soldiers were dead

"And to make sure none of you survive to repeat these atrocities.  I will destroy you and that chamber of horrors," he said

Before he struck, Lex sensed a troubled soul, but no body for it.  Curious, he went to investigate and he came upon Unit 1's crystal encased form, Lex then began to chant something in his native tongue that could call forth a spirit or soul and the form of a graceful woman appeared

"So, you are the one my daughter has fallen in love with, I felt it from her brother.  He was happy, but although you seem the same, you don't look like him" Yui said and blinked at the boy.

Lex bowed "My Lady, I know now where Rei attained her beauty and heart" he said and rose up  
  


"If you wish, I can give you solid form and you can see them again.  Do you accept?" he asked.

Yui's eyes widened

"Of course" she said

Lex smiled and held a hand near her chest and pulsed out light until Yui stood in the plug suit she disappeared in many years ago, in front of Lex.

Lex's power was severely drained and he had to revert to his normal human form

"I still have the strength to fly hither from here and destroy this place of woe and pain.  Come" he held a hand out and Yui took it.

Lex leapt into the air, tossing Yui over his shoulder and made her cling to his back as he flew up again to the sky, he floated above it with his head down and held his arms up level with his shoulders and began to concentrate.

Soon Yui saw great clouds of red gather above them and lightning cracked and thunder rolled as Lex began to scream

"AAAGGGHHHHH" the clouds began to emit lightning more and more

Lex opened his eyes, they were bright orange, so bright Yui could see the light they held 

"CRIMSON STORM" he yelled.

As he spoke, the clouds parted and red beams with silver streaks shot down and engulfed Nerv Headquarters, and Yui watched as all the work she had put in and after all the sacrifices for many years ago, just melt away, like ice in the sun.  BOOOM, a loud underground explosion rocked the city, but it stood firm, Lex then turned and flew away, towards home and towards Rei.

***************

Shinji sat on the mountain, watching for Lex, Asuka was with him; Misato was in the cave sleeping while Ritsuko and a medic treated Rei's wounds while she was asleep.  Most of the soldiers were simply sitting around resting and chatting while the Dragons lay down and slept.  Shinji took a minute to try and take it all in, the apocalypse was coming, and they could do nothing to stop it, despite the seemingly limitless abilities of these warriors, it was beyond their aid

"At least if I'm gonna die, I'll do it with a beautiful red head by my side" he said and smiled at Asuka

"And I'm dying with a hopeless romantic, I couldn't ask for more" she responded

Hikari and Toji were asleep inside also, soldiers while running from a firefight in the city had killed Kensuke, and it saddened them a lot.  Asuka was going for some food when Shinji let out a cry

"Look, Its Lex" he said

One of the soldiers turned his keen gaze to the direction Shinji was pointing and indeed it was the future King.  Cries of victory and hail to the king rose from his troops and jubilation from his friends as he landed; Shinji was wondering who the woman with him was.

Lex spoke to Shinji after he quietened his men

"Shinji, I believe this is someone you lost" he said and stepped to the side, revealing Shinji's mother

"Mother?" he gasped, before fainting.  Asuka was surprised too, but then she groaned

"Well, I suppose your mother returning from the dead would shock a person like that" she muttered

She picked him up and with the help of Hyuga, lugged the boy inside.  Yui followed but as she reached Shinji's makeshift bed, she caught something out of corner of her eye; a mop of blue hair and in her curiosity, she turned to see it but the sight nearly made her sick: while Rei had not been sexually assaulted, the physical assault had caused severe injuries; Rei's left eye was swollen shut, her arms were both broken, several cracked ribs and a fractured pelvis, her right leg was almost shattered and many superficial bruises and large welts were dotted on her skin.

Lex entered and a loud and very savage growl came deep from his throat, he stepped forward and placed Rei's necklace in her hand, closing it tightly around the item.  He got up, his eyes still smouldering with rage; no one dared approach him in this state

"Come; we're leaving.  To Duman-Dur" he said

His troops made affirmative noises and began filing into the cave where the iron doors of the portal stood, he pressed the sequence and the troops filed in; the dragons shrunk themselves to fit through the narrow hallways.  When the last of his soldiers had entered, Lex turned to his friends

"Okay, I lay a path before you now.  You can stay here: Rei's wounds have been treated and she will recover well, although I fear her demeanour will be cold and stoic again, or, you can all come with me.  I love Rei dearly and because of that I am placing the choices before you: I do not wish to force you to come or take her against her will.  Please, make your choice" he said 

He turned away; tears were threatening to fall.  The group huddled

"I say we go" Yui said, the others all looked at her

"Why?" Hyuga asked

Yui snorted

"What's left here, painful memories, and a barren wasteland of a planet by the time the Seele Evas are finished.  If we go, we can make a fresh start, a new beginning; rebirth in the truest sense" she said.

Shinji smiled "I'm in" he said.  
  


Asuka rolled her eyes

"Well, I don't think I can trust you will all those willing women in that world, so I'm in too" she declared

Hyuga, Misato and Maya were in as well.

Toji and Hikari, having no family apart from their friends decided to get in on the act as well, the last was Ritsuko, she wasn't sure if she deserved a second chance like the one Lex described, but Yui, of all the people convinced Ritsuko to come

"If you take this chance, Gendo's threats, his false promises and belittling, all of it; will simply go away and despite him seeming to beat you down, you will have risen up and claimed a new life, without him" she said

So with those sage words, Ritsuko agreed and now the whole group was agreed: they would go

Yui waited and watched them all jump through the portal

Lex came from the main room, holding Rei

"Coming, Lady Yui?" he asked in a joking manner

"Lex, are trying to impress your love's mother?" she retorted

Lex smirked

"Wouldn't dream of it" he called back and walked through the portal.

Yui lingered for a few seconds more and then jumped through the gateway.

As Lex and Yui entered, they saw the rest of their comrades were quite gob-smacked 

"Welcome to the Alabaster Hall, the place of ruling of my parents and other great kings and queens for many years.  This is Kaishin; the capital of Duman-Dur and home of the Imperial Palace of the Drakens" he said

A guard beckoned them to a window to look out over the city, and when they did, it made Tokyo 3 and the Geo-Front look like a frontier town.  The whole city was made up of ivory, gold and red coloured buildings that had small four-sided pyramid roofs, stores and markets lay in the outer rims and the housing was in the inner rim.

Beyond the Great Gates was a desert; but forests and plains with many lakes and pools dotted everywhere, as were smaller townships and farms: overall, the place was breathtaking.

Misato spoke first

"This place is beautiful" was all she managed before crying, having just left her home

"Come, you will all be tired and sore: I bid you take rest in my home, indeed I hope you stay here with me.  But for now, rest" Lex said

He clapped his hands; a few pages appeared and escorted them to rooms much like the ones from the night they spent in Lex's cave.  Lex instructed Rei was taken to a private wing of the Healing House and he set up camp there, and he would not move until she awoke, that was his unbreakable pledge.  5 days he sat there, unmoving and unmovable.

*****************

Rei's eyes fluttered open on the 6th day of her stay in the mystical land; she saw Lex, he wasn't the chiselled Greek god she knew; he was a sleep, food and water deprived wreck with messy hair and the pallor of a circus clown; but to Rei, he now seemed like the most perfect person to grace earth with his feet.  Smiling, she reached over with her bandaged arm and shook him awake

"Rei!" he cried

She didn't respond verbally, but grabbed him clumsily with her arms and pulled him into a tight hug

"I missed you" she managed to croak out.

Rei finally realised that something was in her hand, so she withdrew from the hug and unclenched her hand

"My necklace" she stuttered and put it back on.

It didn't take to long for the news of her awakening to reach her friends, and it took even less time for the other pilots with Hikari and Toji to bash her door down and see her.  She was elated by all the attention because it wasn't something she often received but Rei soon realised that they weren't in a hospital or in Lex's cave

"Where are we?" she asked.

Nobody answered but Lex said they were safe and that she needed to rest, but Rei gave him a look that indicted she did not want to be lied to; so he called for a wheelchair.  

After some careful lifting, Rei was manoeuvred into the chair and Lex began to push her out

"Where are we going?" she pressed

Lex smiled and motioned with his eyes to the windows; the other children all nodded and left them alone.  Lex smiled

"My Lady, it is my pleasure to present to you, the city of Kaishin" he declared and threw the curtains open

The sun was just lowering over the western side, illuminating the city beautifully

"Wow" Rei was mesmerised by Kaishin

"Where are we?" she asked.

Lex gulped; he wasn't looking forward to answering this question

"You are in my realm, a place known as Duman-Dur", he said

Rei panicked slightly as memories of her torture at the hands of Nerv and Seele came flooding back

"Are they coming for me?" she began to dart her eyes around the room, as if an agent was going to leap from every corner

"No, and even if they could, they would never penetrate the walls of this city, not while the Guard of the Spire stand" he assured her of the safety she was in.

Rei sat alone in her room that night and looked once more over the city

"My new home" she murmured and went to sleep.

**The End**


End file.
